The Effectiveness of Life Skills Training in Reducing High-Risk Behaviors and Improving Distress Tolerance among Female Prisoners in Kerman

Divanbegi, Roya; Manzari Tavakoli, Alireza; Manzari Tavakoli, Hamdollah

doi:10.22098/jfrs.2024.14042.1154

The Effectiveness of Life Skills Training in Reducing High-Risk Behaviors and Improving Distress Tolerance among Female Prisoners in Kerman

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Ph.D. Candidate of Educational Science, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of Educational Science and Psychology, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran

10.22098/jfrs.2024.14042.1154

Abstract

Objective: High-risk behaviors represent a growing concern with important adverse consequences for women. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of life skills training in high-risk behaviors and distress tolerance among female prisoners.
Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a control group. The population comprised all female prisoners in Kerman in 2022. 40 participants were selected via random sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Data were collected using the High-Risk Behavior Questionnaire (Rajaee & Shafiei, 2011) and the Distress Tolerance Scale (Simons, J. S., & Gaher, 2005). The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS 26.
Results: The results showed that life skills training significantly reduced a wide range of high-risk behaviors, including drug abuse, HIV/AIDS-related risk behaviors, violence, alcohol use, and unhealthy eating habits; however, it had no significant effect on smoking (p = 0.25). Additionally, the intervention significantly increased distress tolerance (p = 0.01).
Conclusion: Although life skills training was associated with a significant reduction in high-risk behaviors in the present study, evaluating the findings and achieving generalizable results require conducting multiple clinical trials under diverse conditions.

Keywords

References

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